Sinners and Shadows (6 page)

‘Sorry, ma'am.' Rhian eased the tray on to one arm, lifted the lid of the tureen with the other and handed the mistress the fish slice and fork. Mabel helped herself to the largest fillet.

Julia gave Rhian a smile of commiseration when she carried the tureen to her chair. Julia took a small fillet. Edward Larch set aside the copy of
The Times
he had been reading and picked up the fish slice. The fillet broke as he tried to lift it, Rhian leaned forward in the hope of catching the broken piece on her tray but the tureen slipped and fell upside down on the carpet.

‘You stupid girl!' Mabel Larch flew out of her chair and slapped Rhian soundly across the face with her right hand, which was holding a knife.

Shocked, momentarily stunned, Rhian stared at her mistress for a moment. As blood began to flow down her cheek, pain set in and she gulped back a sob. Dropping her tray on top of the tureen, she fled from the room across the hall and down the stairs barely aware of the master's shouts behind her.

‘You're lucky you didn't lose your eye.' Mrs Williams pressed a tea towel soaked in cold water over the side of Rhian's face.

‘Old witch! Hitting us! For two pins I'd pack my bags and clear off right now,' said Meriel.

‘I hope not after the time you've been here, Cook.' Edward Larch knocked at the open door. ‘May I come in?'

‘This is your house, sir,' Mrs Williams said coldly.

‘And the kitchen is your and Cook's preserve, Mrs Williams.' He studied Rhian with real concern. ‘How are you?'

‘As you see, sir.' Mrs Williams lifted the towel to reveal Rhian's bloodshot eye and bruised cheekbone.

‘I have come to apologize for my wife's behaviour. She wasn't feeling well this morning.'

‘If you don't mind me saying so, sir, that's a pathetic excuse,' Mrs Williams observed, anger overcoming her usual reserve with the master.

‘I know I have no right to ask, but I was hoping that we could keep the knowledge of this incident within the house.' Edward looked to the housekeeper. When she remained silent, he added, ‘I have no doubt that Mrs Larch will apologize to Rhian herself later in the day.'

‘I will bring the matter up with Mrs Larch in Rhian's presence, sir,' Mrs Williams said firmly. ‘I cannot have my staff treated in this fashion and I would prefer not to leave any of them alone with her in future.'

‘You run the household as you see fit,' Edward conceded, in the hope of preventing any of them from walking out. ‘Take the day off and rest, Rhian. You will let me know how she is this evening, Mrs Williams?'

‘I will, sir.'

‘I could tell my friends that I walked into a door,' Rhian suggested, hating the thought of anyone leaving Larch House because of what had happened to her.

‘I would be grateful, Rhian,' Edward said quickly. ‘My wife has retired to her room, Mrs Williams. I will tell her to expect you later on this morning.'

‘You have finished breakfast, sir?' the housekeeper enquired pointedly.

‘We have, Mrs Williams, thank you.'

‘Then Bronwen and I will clear the table.' Mrs Williams signalled to Bronwen, who picked up two trays and handed one to the housekeeper. They followed the master up the stairs and into the hall where Gerald and Julia were dressing in their overcoats.

‘Where are you going?' Edward asked.

‘I promised Simon Rowan that I'd help him build a station for his model train set before term starts and I have to go back to school.' His stepmother's display of temper had embarrassed Gerald and he couldn't look his father in the eye.

Julia buttoned on her gloves. ‘I promised Mrs Rowan that I would call into the vicarage some time to discuss the Sunday School arrangements for Easter. I know it's months away, but she likes to plan ahead.'

‘Will you be in for lunch?' Edward glanced through the open dining-room door. Mrs Williams had picked up the tureen, which was miraculously undamaged, and was heaping the fish back into it. If the carpet was stained, he couldn't see it.

‘We thought we'd go on from the vicarage to Pontypridd, Father. Gerald wants to see
David Copperfield
in the Park Cinema and I'd like to treat him and Simon.'

‘In that case, enjoy yourselves.' As it was obvious that neither of his children wanted to remain in the house with Mabel, Edward took a sovereign from his pocket and handed it to his son. ‘You can treat your sister and Simon to lunch in the Park Hotel on me, Gerald.'

‘Thank you, Father.'

‘I'll see you at dinner. Mrs Williams, there's no point in laying the lunch table just for the mistress. Perhaps you could send a tray up to her room?'

‘I will, sir.'

Edward waited until Julia and Gerald left the house, before climbing the stairs.

‘If that is you, Edward, I am changing,' Mabel called out, when he knocked her bedroom door.

Edward turned the knob. The door held fast. He set his knee beneath the lock and pushed with all his strength. The doorframe splintered at his third attempt. Brushing shards of wood from his trousers, he walked in. Mabel leapt to her feet from the chaise longue, where she had been lying, reading a copy of
Woman's Weekly.
She tugged the neck of the robe she had changed into high around her throat, and tightened the belt.

‘How dare you break in on me when I am resting in the privacy of my room!'

He pushed the door behind him. ‘How dare you assault the staff in
my
house!'

‘The girl was clumsy –'

‘The girl was serving me and it was an accident.'

‘What is the point of me working hard to refurbish your house when the servants ruin my new carpets?'

‘Mrs Williams was cleaning the carpet when I left and it didn't look ruined to me.'

‘It wouldn't. Men never see dirt, even when it's staring them in the face. I am mistress of this house –'

‘You won't be mistress of anything if you slap any of the staff like that again, Mabel. You weren't even aware that you were holding a knife. You could have killed Rhian.'

‘Rubbish!' The chill expression in his eyes unnerved her. ‘You will be late for the office.'

‘I think it more important that I deal with this situation. I told Mrs Williams you are unwell, and I have asked the servants not to mention what happened outside of this house.'

‘Really, Edward, so much fuss for a slap the girl deserved.'

‘Mrs Williams told me that she won't allow any of the maids to remain alone in a room with you.'

‘And you agreed? You'd take her side –'

‘This is not a question of sides but common decency. Did you ever hit any of your maids at your father's vicarage?' he demanded sternly. He'd regretted marrying Mabel on their wedding night, but it was only now that he was beginning to understand just what an act she'd put on when they'd met, and how little he really knew her.

‘Father says they need to be chastised, like children.'

‘Not in this house. Do I make myself clear? Do
I?'
he reiterated.

‘You would allow that girl to go unpunished?'

‘I have never punished anyone for an accident and I'm not about to start now. Stay here until Mrs Williams comes up. When she does, you will apologize not only to Rhian but also to her.'

‘I will do no such thing,' she retorted warmly.

‘Then you will leave this house.' He spoke quietly but there was no mistaking his resolve.

‘As your wife I am entitled to your respect.'

‘Respect has to be earned, Mabel, and you have done nothing whatsoever to earn it from the servants, the children, or,' he paused for the import of his words to sink in, ‘me. Frankly, even before your appalling behaviour this morning, I was sorry I met you, let alone married you. Now, I can only wonder at my insanity in ever allowing you near me.'

‘You promise you will tell us all about the show when you get back, Rhian?' Bronwen pleaded.

‘I promise. But I don't doubt that it will be the same show that you and Cook saw last Thursday afternoon,' Rhian answered.

‘If it's any different, I'll get Ianto to take me again this Thursday. He's on mornings in the pit this week. But then I might do that anyway. He hasn't seen it and it will give me an excuse to go again; it was really good.'

Rhian went to the window. It was a Tuesday morning in early April, over three months since she had spent her first day off with Joey. The sun was shining, the few clouds in the sky wispy and white, but the trees that bordered the garden were dipping and swaying alarmingly in the wind.

‘If you're checking the weather, Rhian, I can tell you now, it's bitter out there.' Mrs Williams waved to the milkman, closed the kitchen door and dropped his account book into the dresser drawer where she kept the tradesmen's records. ‘Williams the milk was just saying it's a north wind that's blowing, making it colder out there than it was last month.'

‘But it looks as though it's going to be dry.' Rhian refused to let the temperature spoil the day ahead that she and Joey had planned.

‘It does,' Mrs Williams agreed. ‘But it's also going to be freezing in the Malsters' Field in Pontypridd. So don't go thinking that you can dress for spring. That blouse is far too thin.'

‘Not with this jacket, Mrs Williams.' Rhian slipped the cardigan of her knitted suit over the cream blouse Sali had given her.

‘I suppose not, provided you wear your winter coat and muffler on top.'

‘I intend to, Mrs Williams.'

‘You going to call in on Mrs Evans?'

‘We are.' Rhian smiled.

Mrs Williams thrust a package at her. ‘Something small I made for the new arrival, I only hope it still fits her. I never knit a stitch until after the birth for fear of tempting fate and the way the mistress has been lately it's taken me two weeks to finish it.'

‘Whatever it is, I'm sure Sali and baby Edyth will love it.' Rhian smiled.

‘I wish I was going to Broncho Bill's Great Wild West Exhibition,' Mair sighed enviously.

‘Isn't your mam taking you tomorrow?' Mrs Williams poured herself and Mair second cups of tea.

‘She is, but it won't be like going today. Just think, real-life Cowboys and Indians, in Ponty, like in the pictures.'

‘Not like in the pictures, Mair, because they are real. You wait until you see the Indians, Rhian, and the attack on the Deadwood Coach, and there's an Indian girl who's the best woman shot in the West-'

‘Let the poor girl see them for herself, Cook,' Mrs Williams admonished.

Rhian wrapped a white mohair muffler around her throat and pulled on the beret and gloves she'd knitted to match it.

‘You did a good job on that accessory set, Rhian. You couldn't have bought better in any shop in Cardiff.' Mrs Williams sniffed loudly and Rhian sensed she was about to make one of her disparaging remarks about Joey. ‘I suppose you're going with –'

‘Joey Evans, Mrs Williams, yes.' Rhian unclipped her handbag and slipped the package the housekeeper had given her into it.

‘Well, I give him this much, if he has been out with any other girls since he's been walking out with you, he's kept them well hidden these last thirteen weeks. But that's not to say they don't exist, mind.'

‘We are just friends, Mrs Williams.'

‘So you keep saying.'

Rhian went cold at the thought of Joey paying court to another girl. She saw the housekeeper watching her, and repeated, ‘We really are just friends, Mrs Williams.'

‘You may think so, my girl, but I don't believe for one minute that friendship is all that boy has on his mind. Has he ever talked to you about his intentions?'

‘Friends don't have intentions. They go out together and have a good time.'

‘Speak of the devil and he appears.' Mrs Williams shouted, ‘Come in,' at the door.

Joey removed his trilby and smiled. ‘Good morning, Mrs Williams, Bronwen, Meriel, Mair.'

‘Is it a good morning, Joey Evans? I hadn't noticed,' Mrs Williams replied flatly.

‘It's beautiful, Mrs Williams. Cold, crisp and clear.'

‘Never mind the weather, just you take good care of Rhian.' The housekeeper picked a thread of lint from Rhian's coat. ‘You'll be in by ten.'

‘I'll have her safely back by then, Mrs Williams.'

‘See that you do. Have a good time, Rhian, and make sure he behaves himself.' The housekeeper closed the door behind them.

‘Rhian's so lucky.' Mair gave another of her theatrical sighs. ‘Beautiful clothes, a handsome boyfriend who looks like a matinee idol –'

‘The first lesson every young girl should learn is “handsome is as handsome does,”' Mrs Williams interrupted briskly. ‘And Joey Evans has a long way to go before he'll convince me that he's changed his wandering ways. Now if we're going to get the upstairs breakfast served on time, we have to get our skates on. Mair, clear this table; Bronwen, lay the table in the breakfast room. I'll check the menu with Cook and set up the trays.'

‘I think Mrs Williams is actually beginning to like me.' Joey took Rhian's hand and nestled it in the crook of his arm as they walked down the drive of Llan House.

‘I don't know how you can say that. She's downright rude to you.'

‘It's not what she says; it's the way she says it. I can tell that underneath it all, she's fond of me.' He pulled two tickets from his inside pocket and waved them under her nose. ‘The best seats, undercover …'

‘Bronwen said all the seats are undercover. They've put up the most enormous marquee that seats ten thousand people.'

‘Some seats are more undercover than others,' he continued unabashed. ‘The most expensive have the best view of both rings. And
these
are the most expensive and comfortable. The man at the box office promised me that we'd get cushions.'